


Lessons of Life

by Lazydesk



Series: The moments inbetween [3]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Lessons learned, The Inquisitor is a sweet baby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-27
Updated: 2016-11-27
Packaged: 2018-09-02 13:14:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8669041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lazydesk/pseuds/Lazydesk
Summary: Two lessons that Abbey needed to learn, neither of which she was thrilled about.





	

**Author's Note:**

> "Welcome to the room of people  
> Who have rooms of people that they loved one day  
> Docked away  
> Just because we check the guns at the door  
> Doesn't mean our brains will change from hand grenades  
> You're lovin' on the psychopath sitting next to you  
> You're lovin' on the murderer sitting next to you  
> You'll think, how'd I get here, sitting next to you?  
> But after all I've said, please don't forget"  
> -Heathens, Twenty one pilots

            The Storm Coast was no one’s favorite place, well except Abbey’s. Cassandra would never complain even when the water soaked into her thick armor. The chill would set in and no amount of heat could warm her. Even a cup of warm tea at the end of the night couldn’t do the trick. Dorian was the exact opposite, there was nothing but complaining. The poor man’s hair would slowly flatten and then frizz up into a sodden poof atop his head. The beautiful robes he wore would slowly get heavier and heavier until he was forced to shed the outer layers and get down to the basic tunic and pants. The cold and the rain did nothing much to Bull, he simply hated the monotony of the grey and green landscape. At the end of the night Bull would wrap Dorian in the old wool blanket he had brought with him to the South. Abbey, well she would stand dripping wet and breathe in the salt water and cool air. The way she reached her hands to the heavens gave her the appearance of sending a prayer to the heavens. Head tipped back, the water would slid down her face and smudge the makeup around her eyes. In Ostwick it rained almost constantly. The Trevelyan estate was settled on sandy grassland directly next to the sea. It was one of the few things she missed about home.

            It was midnight and the lightning crackled across the sky. The Inquisitor sat at the mouth of the tent she was sharing with Cassandra. The Seeker was sleeping peacefully, breaths soft and even. Abbey watched the night sky and smiled, this was peace. Usually the quiet bothered her but on nights like this there was little to worry about. Though she never said anything to anyone, she was dreadfully scared. She was scared to lose the battles, she was scared to lose her friends, and she was scared of possibly losing her sanity. All of her life she had ran from duty and family. The Inquisition had been a great source of anxiety for a while. Things now were safe. At night when her hand hurt, Cassandra would prop herself up on her elbow and let Abbey rest against her chest. The woman would run her fingers through the Inquisitor’s hair and tell her stories of Nevarra. The worries of the day’s travels would slip away. Cassandra was like a vault, nothing said between the two women would ever reach the ears of anyone else. Everything was just better.

            They were close to the water’s edge when Abbey slipped and fell into the sea. Panic swelled in her chest as the water rushed over her. Bull was by her side in what seemed like a second. Gently he lifted her up, the water barely coming up to his knees.

            “I really don’t understand how someone who lived so close to the sea the majority of their lives cannot swim,” Dorian commented and twiddled his thumbs. Bull and Cassandra narrowed their eyes at the tiny soaked woman. The Qunari set her down on the shore and kept his hand on Abbey’s shoulder.

            “Boss I think it’s time to have a swimming lesson.” The Inquisitor paled and shook her head. For someone who loved the rain, she was terrified of water.

            “Listen you don’t swim in the water near Ostwick. Things like to crawl out of the water and we have some fish with rather large teeth,” It was a silly childhood fear, one that Abbey had chosen to let herself keep into her adult years. Cassandra furrowed her brow and put her hands on her hips.

            “You mean sharks?” The woman snorted, “They are not malicious creatures, and they only bite people out of curiosity for the most part.” The Seeker told the Inquisitor. Abbey threw her hands into the air and groaned.

            “It’s for the for the most part that I worry about.” Abbey pointed wildly over to Dorian, “You never see Dorian swimming around and he had a pool at his estate,” The Tevinter man chuckled and waved the Inquisitor off dismissively. That was when she knew that there was no use in arguing.

            “My dear, I do not swim because I will not risk damaging this.” He gestured up and down the length of his body, “That does not mean I do not know how to,” Shoulders slumping she conceded to their reasoning.

            The small lake they had discovered was clear and Abbey could see the bottom. Even at its deepest it only came up to Bull’s midsection. Rationally she knew the man would not let her sink to the bottom. That did not stop her from standing skittishly on the bank. Standing in her small clothes she felt unusually tiny. Bull noticed the elegant tattoos that covered the majority of her body. On her collar bone was the simple outline of an owl in flight, it was instantly his favorite. Little bird, it was what Varric had taken to calling her; it had stuck, everyone used the nickname fondly. The boss was timid and surprisingly wary but still had an impressive voice when she put her mind to it. With caution he waded over to the Inquisitor and picked her up.

            “This shit isn’t working.” Without warning he simply chucked her into the center to the lake and walked in the direction he tossed her. The Boss had good instincts and always learned better through pressure and need. The Inquisitor’s head popped up out of the water and she sputtered violently. The way she kicked her legs was good, but the frantic way she was flapping her arms was doing nothing to keep her above water.

            “Calm down,” He said to her and gripped the band that clasped around her back. It offered her a little support to stay buoyant but she would have to do most of the work. Cassandra and Dorian watched from the bank and occasionally shouted words of encouragement. Slowly but surely the woman managed to keep herself afloat. It wasn’t pretty but it was working. If she were to fall into the water again, Abbey would at least be able to stay upright until someone could get to her.

            “Just don’t let go,” Her voice was still slightly panicked. With Gentle hands Bull moved her onto her back. The Qunari man rested one hand on her back and the other on her thighs. Getting the picture she moved her hands back and forth and she was floating. Satisfied he let her back to a vertical position. Within seconds she was climbing up his body and clinging tightly to his shoulders. Long wet strands of her red hair clung to her face and Abbey’s nose was wrinkled to show her displeasure.

            “That was fun,” She hissed at him, “But if you ever do that again, I will never let you near another dragon…ever,” Bull laughed and leisurely walked to the shore. When solid ground was beneath their feet she dropped to the ground.

_Sword play_

            Abbey danced around Cullen with her daggers, she even threw in a playful twirl of the dulled blades. The Commander sighed and lowered his sword and shield. The Inquisitor launched herself through the air with a rather sad sounding war cry. For someone who relied so heavily on stealth she rarely applied it in sparring matches. Cassandra sighed from the sidelines when Cullen lightly deflected her attack with his shield and sent Abbey sprawling. The matches were to work off excess energy and have a bit of fun. Yet Cassandra always seemed unimpressed by Abbey’s fighting style in the ring.

            “Abbey where did you learn to fight?” Cassandra hopped the fence and into the ring, “I know that you fight with daggers and are a competent fighter but your stance is horrific and your grip on the blades allows you to be disarmed.” Abbey respecting the Seeker greatly, stood at attention and listened quietly. Cullen rubbed the back of his head and made a noise low in his throat.

            “I have noticed that as well. You movements are fluid and flexible but you lack a grounded stance whenever you need to defend. You prefer to evade and use stealth,  quick jabs rather than defend. Dorian has told me you even take hits rather than guard against them.” He stated. Cassandra nodded in confirmation, there had been many times that Abbey had taken a blow rather that deflect with her blades. It made the Seeker’s heart sink whenever a harsh slice of sword clipped the Inquisitor.

            “Huh, I never noticed that.” She set the practice blades on the ground, “Unlike both of you I never had proper instruction on how to handle a blade. When I left Ostwick, I had never even held a dagger before. It was through trial and error that I learned how to defend myself. The people who attacked me didn’t really give me a chance to learn how to successfully block or redirect.” Cassandra and Cullen both looked equally horrified. The Inquisitor didn’t see what was so horrifying, plenty of people learned through trial and error and became great fighters.

            “Are you telling me that at eighteen you simply took your horse, paid for a boat to transport you to Fereldan, wandered around the wilderness fighting people, and just hoped for the best?” Cassandra stared at the Inquisitor. Abbey shrugged her shoulders sheepishly.

            “Well, I didn’t go around trying to fight people at least but that sounds about right.” Cassandra made a disgusted noise and Cullen a disapproving one.

            “You are lucky you weren’t killed by bandits or mauled by a bear,” Cullen grumbled. Abbey snorted and put her hands on the two warrior’s shoulders.

            “Listen, there were a few close calls but you know what I think I did alright!” Both warriors sighed. Abbey could sense a trend, apparently her lack of worldly experience made people want to teach her things. Another lesson or maybe a lot of lessons were on her horizon.

            Cullen used his foot to push her right leg back and widen her stance. Left leg forward, she certainly felt awkward being pushed and pulled around. The firm press of his hands pushed her lower to the ground.

            “There, now you stance is more stable. It will be harder knock you down and you can adjust your body accordingly without being completely off balance. Now for the sword,” Abbey’s brow furrowed when Cullen stuck a practice blade in her hand. The weight was uncomfortable; daggers were lighter and didn’t require extra strength. Bull and Cassandra were watching with interest; they looked away when Dorian approached with a smirk on his face.

            “Oh this will not go well,” He commented and then pointed to the Inquisitor, “She won’t be able to correct her stance when she is used juggling two weapons.” Everyone turned to look at him strangely. There was a number of things Dorian was good at, but swordplay?

            “Dorian, do you know how to use a sword?” Cassandra asked surprised. The Tevinter man burst into laughter and gestured at all of them. Walking to the gate he opened it and slid into the ring. When he reached Cullen, he took the other man’s sword. It was interesting to see him shift into a solid unmovable stance instead of the loose one all mages had.

            “In Tevinter there are a number of things we learn: witty insults, archaic forms of magic, and how to use a number of different weapons. Say I run out of mana, what then? I know how to use polearms as well as a sword and shield. Being a well-rounded fighter is never a bad idea.” Cassandra looked impressed and Bull looked rather proud. Abbey frowned at him.

            “Come on!” She practically wilted, “Dorian you need to let me better at something than you. Anything really!” Dorian laughed and delivered a quick blow to the woman’s chest with his elbow and sent her straight to the ground. Playfully he leaned down over her and smiled. The man strove to perfection, though magic was the most comfortable fighting style for him, he would never settle for anything less than the best.

            “I wish you the best!” He placed the sword back into Cullen’s hand and leaned in to whisper in the Commander’s ear, “Be gentle with her. Abbey’s pride is fragile thing.”

            Battered and bruised, Abbey shuffled into Cullen’s office. As soon as he caught sight of the state she was in, he was out of seat.

            “Maker’s breath, what happened?” He ran his fingertips over the black eye she was sporting. Despite the ache of her body and slightly wounded pride she wore a large smile.

            “I knocked Cassandra on her ass!” Abbey was practically vibrating with excitement, “Then she proceded to attack me for real.” She added the last bit gingerly. He was proud of her but Cassandra could have been a bit more gentle. Covered in mud and blood, all that was visible were her bright blue eyes. It was endearing in the worst possible way.

            “Did you at least get in a couple of good hits?” He cocked his head to the side. Abbey burst into laughter and put a hand over her heart.

            “One or two but she thoroughly trounced me!” It was disturbing how well she took being beaten by the Seeker, “But she did tell me that I probably wouldn’t die if all I had was a sword to defend myself with!” Sighing Cullen rubbed the back of his neck. Well any progress was better than none. Leave it to Cassandra to make almost not dying sound like a good thing. Pulling her in close he kissed her brow and lifted her off the ground. Even though she was a dirty mess, he still thought her as beautiful as any queen. It was silly how happy she made him with just a simple smile on her lips.

            “Maybe now you could beat Dorian!” She swatted him on the arm indignantly. Her frown quickly disappeared when he ran his fingers over her tickle rib. Squirming out of his arms she collapsed to the floor; he followed her down and continued his relentless attack. Squealing and screeching, Abbey tried to worm her way out of his tight grip. Cassandra swung open the door. Her eyes slowly fell upon them. Both stared up at her from their unusual position. The Seeker narrowed her eyes and grunted.

            “You two need to learn how to lock a door,” She grumbled before backing out of the room. Though neither of them could see her face, there was a large grin on her face. Cassandra was happy that the two had found something so good in a time of war and agony.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for the feedback! For some reason I decided to edit this drunk so please forgive me if there are typos.
> 
> Love hearing from you all,  
> -Avery


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